Young children born in this modern era of technology are increasingly prone to spending their days inside, eyes glued to a television screen or game console while the world outside slips by. But about four decades ago, one young Swedish boy spent his childhood in the vast wilderness of Minnesota, photographing “rocks and roots” with his father, reading adventure stories, and sometimes even skipping school to “escape” and explore the great outdoors. The circumstances of his childhood would ultimately shape his life.

Today, Torsten Kjellstrand is a professor of Journalism at the University of Oregon, but at his core, he is a storyteller passionate about actively going out into the world to explore the human experience. Scotch-taped on the glass wall looking into his office are simple printed cut outs of pictures from the trip to Alaska to find stories about climate change that he took students on last summer. Inside, dressed in his signature casual look of plaid button down shirt and jeans, Kjellstrand, a grey-haired man in his mid-50’s with the athletic build and energy of a younger man sits comfortably at his desk. He invites me in with a welcoming smile has the knack of putting anyone at ease. His red bike helmet and bright yellow neon jacket that he puts on for his daily three mile bike commute sits in a neat pile next to his desk.

Though becoming a teacher was Kjellstrand’s original plan upon graduating with a degree in English from a small town college in Minnesota decades ago, it has only been two years since he became a professor. “It was clear to me as a young man that I was not good at sitting still, so I needed something more active,” Kjellstrand said. So, he cross- country skied semi-professionally in Europe for two years and also worked in construction. “I loved that,” Kjellstrand said, “But that was too far in the other direction. It was all about activity and I was too intellectually restless.” From there, he began writing for newspapers.

Kjellstrand’s active personality was largely attributed to his childhood, during which he spent much of his time outdoors, hiking, canoeing, fishing, and hunting with his parents. So, living in the suburbs as opposed to a rural farming community was hard for him. Kjellstrand said, “I spent a lot of time and energy escaping, either physically by leaving and going to places I felt more comfortable with, or just psychologically by reading adventure stories.” When he began writing for newspapers, he again felt the need to escape, this time from the writing room. He did so by turning to photojournalism. “It was a better fit because you have to get out into the world, you meet people, you’re moving, you’re messing around with things, but you also have to have your brain activated the whole time,” he said. For 25 years, Kjellstrand worked as a photographer and storyteller in newspapers across the country, gaining recognition as an award-winning storyteller through his pictures. “Stories are how I make sense of the world,” he said. Even as a child, this was the case for Kjellstrand, who, instead of learning the names of birds from a field guide, learned them from stories about birds.

Kjellstrand’s stories focus on those who are often misrepresented or not represented at all-farmers in rural communities, Native Americans, and immigrant communities. Growing up as an immigrant and being unsure of where he belonged, living in rural communities, and working with his hands fueled his interest in representing people who are often seen as just a statistic. “I think that’s what stories do. They turn people into three-dimensional characters,” Kjellstrand said.

At the same time, the nature of his parents made a permanent impression on Kjellstrand and how he saw the world. When he was young, a worker was unsuccessfully trying to fix something in their home with a foul attitude and mood. Rather than getting angry and berating the worker, his mother sat him down with a cup of coffee and asked him what was going on with him. “What I learned from them was to be kind, really,” Kjellstrand said, “It’s just a gift I got from my parents.” His wife, Jean, a woman in her mid 50-s with the grace of a dancer, gentle personality and fit build like her husband, associates her husband’s kind nature with the work that he does. “What makes him kind is that he is very accepting of a variety of people and a variety of situations. Because of that he is able to make people feel comfortable,” Jean said, “He gives of himself if people need help.”

Now, as a teacher, Kjellstrand applies the same values of kindness when it comes to his students. One student, Li Li Bayarmagnai, recalls one day when she was feeling stressed and overburdened with school work. “Torsten came up to me and said, are you ok?” Tears began to stream down her face as she replied that she was. He persisted, asking her if he could buy her a cup of coffee. Recalling the encounter, Bayarmagnai clasps her hands under her chin and leans forward in great earnest, her voice building in volume ad speeding up as she gains momentum.“It’s such a warm and very human thing to do, it’s just so nice,” Bayarmagnai said, “The way he understood me…touched me.”

While Kjellstrand misses going out into communities and finding stories on a regular basis, he has replaced that passion with teaching. “Now I’m participating in the story of students,” he said, “There’s a deep satisfaction with that. It feels like I’ve made a trade and I don’t regret that trade at all.” The spirit of the young Swedish boy is still evident in Kjellstrand’s personality. Today, he is still escaping into the outdoors, where he feels most at home, and into the world through storytelling.